Racket



H. GOERKE July 11, 1939.

RACKET 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov.- 26, 1938 INVENTOK ffen r Goarfit, BY

ATTQRNEY.

H. GOERKE July 11, 1939.

RAGKET 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 File d Nov. 26, 1958 I l i I l l INVENTOR, 6 r e Tm;

i umk, ATTORNEY.

H. GOERKE July 11, 1939.

RACKET Filed Nov. 26, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 11, 1939 PATENT OFFIE RACKET Henry Goerke,

New York, N. Y.

Application November 26, 1938, Serial No. 242,493

6 Claims.

This invention relates to rackets used in playing tennis and other games in which a ball, dart or the like is played. The ordinary racket is strung with the use of only two strings, wherefore if one string breaks the racket becomes unserviceable and there is the further disadvantage that it cannot be properly restrung except by one skilled in such work.

According to this invention there are a number of strings. Therefore, the breaking of any one string does not seriously affect the continued usefulness of the racket. Further, the stringing is so effected that the player himself can replace the broken string, and it is also possible for him not only to adjust the replacing string but in fact all the strings to whatever tension he requires, there preferably being associated with the racket a scale or scales by which to determine the tension. In carrying out my invention, the end portions of the strings are extended throughout more or less of the length of the handle, which is an important factor in producing the desired resiliency in the strings and facilitating their tightening, and they and their anchoring means may serve in place of the usual weight placed in the butt of the handle to balance the racket properly. The invention also involves a novel construction of the handle or grip in which the handle proper is removable and exchangeable for another of different form suitable to the particular player;

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a face View of the improved racket with portions broken away;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary face view thereof on a larger scale, with portions of the frame shown in section;

Fig. 8 is a section on line 3-3, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a fragment of the frame or head; 7

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary face view of the handle;

Fi 6 is an end view of the handle;

Fig. '7 shows one of the anchors and a fragment of a string;

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of two of the strings;

Fi 9 is a face view of a modified form of handle or grip, with a part of the removable handle shown broken away;

Fig. 10 shows the body part of the handle extension of the racket, partly in plan and partly in section; and

Fi 11 is a free end view of said extension.

The open head or frame I of the racket is preferably oval in form, with the inner end broader than or having a curvature of longer radius than that of the other or free end. The threat is formed by shafts 2 which extend from the handle 3 in parallel relation and then diverge and merge into the head both sides of and equidistant from its longitudinal axis. A reinforcing metal band 4 may embrace the shafts. The handle preferably has an axial bore 5 extending therethrough, and at its free or butt end it has a series of radial notches 8. That is, around the bore, the handle has (here at the end portion thereof and afforded by the perimeter of its tapered butt 30.) an anchorage Which is divided by each notch.

Coincident with equally spaced transverse lines I form in the head a number of holes 7, here eight in number; and coincident with equally spaced longitudinal lines I form in the head other holes 8, being twice as many as the holes 1. The arrangement is such in this example that as to each set of holes the corresponding axis of the head bisects the set so that one-half of the holes are on one side and the other half on the other side of such axis. of lines hasin the example a width which is less than the corresponding dimension of the space of the head. Two of the holes 8 at each side of the head here flank the adjoining shaft 2, which in this example has a hole 9 coincident with the inner one of such two holes and each shaft has a passage Ill leading from its outer to its inner face in such a way that the two pas- E'ach group sages l0 converge toward the free end of the handle.

The strings are generally designated by the character a in Fig. 1. The state which each string assumes when strung is shown by the diaram, Fig. 8, where its mid-portion a is trans- Verse, and its extremities are first directed upwardly, as at M, and then downwardly, as at a only the lowest and highest strings appearing in this figure. That is, each string extends through holes 'l' in the same transverse line and, having its pair of extremities directed upwardly, the extremities of such pair are then directed down- Wardly in parallel relation, each extending through two holes 3 in the same longitudinal line. In this example, the string a occupying the lowest alined holes 1 has its extremities respectively passed downwardly through the pairs of longitudinallyalined holes 8 whichare furthest from the longitudinal axis of the head; the string 00- cupying the next lowest alined holes I has its end portions respectively passed downwardly through the pairs of alined holes 8 which are next furthest from the vertical axis of the head; and so on. Thus, mid-portions a of the strings are crossed by their extremities a Of course the sixteen extremities are interwoven with the eight mid-portions of the strings in the usual way. In order to sheath the portions a of the strings, the head may be exteriorly grooved, as shown at H, Fig. 3.

All the extremities of the strings are made to pass through the bore of the handle, the ten middle strings by passing directly through the space of the throat flanked by the shafts 2; the sixth string on either hand by passing to said space first via hole 9 and then via hole In; and the seventh and eighth strings on either hand by passing to said space first outside the corresponding shaft and then via hole It).

For securing the strings I provide small pins I! to serve as anchors, each having a transverse hole IN. The operator passes each string through the hole of the corresponding anchor and then ties the string around the anchor, the latter being so positioned on the string as to impose the proper tension on the string when the anchor is in anchoring position. Each string and the attached pin together form what I term a string element having an anchor-forming portion, here existing as an enlargement formed by the pin. Then, with the aid of the usual dowel or hand grip around which the free end of the string extending from the anchor is wrapped, he draws the string sufficiently to permit it to be entered into one of the notches 6 and leave the anchor bearing against the outer face of the handle as shown in Fig. 5.

In Figs. 9 to 11 a modification is shown as follows: The shafts 2 extend to the handle end of the racket and over their free ends is fitted a metal cap l3 having a central opening from which extend elongated notches I4. The cap is to afford the anchorage for the strings which, with their anchors l aflixed thereto, are passed between the shafts and through the cap and engaged in the notches, their anchors bearing against the cap; there may be two strings t each notch.

In this form a removable handle 16 is shown. It has an inside shape conforming to that of the'handle body formed by the shafts and cap. But the outside shape and dimensions may vary to suit the hand of the particular player. It is held in place by a screw I1 and projects beyond and thus houses the anchors.

It is important to have the racket equipped with means to indicate the tension of the strings,

and this is practically possible according to my invention, where all the strings have their extremities extending in the same general direction, or toward the free end of the handle. Therefore on the body part of the handle, shown in Fig. 9, a scale i8 is placed, its indices indicating tension in pounds. According as the anchor for any string is preliminarily made to coincide with a given index on the scale when, with the removable handle removed, such string is held extended along the body part of the handle in merely straightened form, so said string will be under the number of pounds of tension which correspond with that index when the string has been passed through the cap and anchored as described. For instance, if a tension of 50 pounds is required, the anchor is affixed to the straightened string so as to coincide with the index 50.

Another scale may be positioned as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in the throat of the racket, as on a strip [9 suitably secured to the head and the band 4. The indices here read reversely to those of the scale [8, the scale I9 serving rather to check the result attained by the use of scale [8; the scale at [9 is made use of by marking the strings in some distinct way along a given line crossing them and above the scale.

Many advantages attend the construction of a racket in accordance with my invention, some of which are as follows: For the average tennis racket is required to be used a coil of string approximating 19 feet in length for each main string and one approximately 17 feet in length for each cross string; by my invention the coil used will approximate 6 feet in length for each string. If a string breaks, the impact network formed by the crossing string elements as shown in Fig. 1 remains in balance as to tension at both sides of the longitudinal axis of the racket (i. e., of the handle) since the extremities a of any such element are equi-distant from such axis in the preferred form, at least. In respect to dimension available for resiliency, each string element has greater such dimension than in the ordinary racket; in the latter case any element crossing the head exists with a sharp bend or return in order again to cross the head, whereas in my racket each transverse crossing is followed by a more or less right-angular bend and each longitudinal crossing is in respect to a stretch which is of greater length than that of the head. It is a comparatively easy matter for the user to replace any broken string element. Knotting or splicing of strings is unnecessary. The strings are anchored by resort to means, as the anchors and the cap, when used, which will serve in the stead of the usual weight placed in the butt of the handle in order to balance the racket. Since the handle includes a removable handle or handle proper, it is always possible for the player to exchange one such handle proper for one which fits or suits his hand more comfortably or which will change the balance of the racket to suit the requirements of the player.

So far as I am aware I am the first to extend the string elements more or less past the head toward the handle and, one extremity of each element being secured in any way to the headand-handle-including structure of the racket, anchor the other extremity to the extension which includes the handle.

I do not wish to be limited to pins, as l2, providing the string elements with anchorage portions, since other forms of such portions are within the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination, with structure including the head of a racket of the class described and a handle-including extension of the head, of means to form the impact network of the racket comprising string elements having their midportions crossing the head transversely of the axis of the handle and having their extremities bent first away from and then bent generally toward the handle and crossing said mid-portions, said structure maintaining the bends in said elements and the portions of the latter which extend toward the handle being anchored to said structure.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 characterized by those pairs of portions of the respective strings which extend generally toward the handle being inwardly displaced toward said axis in the same order in which the corresponding mid-portions of said elements are displaced from the handle.

3. The combination, with structure including the head of a racket of the class described and a handle-including extension of the head, of an impact network including string elements supported by the head and each having portions crossing each other, each such element being anchored at one extremity thereof to said structure and having its other extremity reaching past the head toward the handle and anchored to said extension.

4. The combination, with structure including the head of a racket of the class described and a handle-including extension of the head, of an impact network including string elements supported by the head and each having portions crossing each other, each such element having its extremities reaching past the head toward the handle and anchored to said extension.

5. The combination, with structure including the head of a racket of the classdescribed and a handle-including extension of the head having a portion which exists around the longitudinal axis of the handle formed with a plurality of notches and forming an anchorage, of an impact-network including string elements supported by the head and each having portions crossmg each other, each such element being anchored at one extremity thereof to said structure and having its other extremity extending through one of said notches and also having an enlargement bearing against the anchorage.

6. The combination of structure including the head of a racket of the class described and a handle-including extension of the head, and string elements forming an impact-network, elements of such network being anchored each at one extremity thereof to said structure and having its other extremity extending longitudinally through said extension and anchored to the latter substantially at the free end thereof.

HENRY GOERKE. 

